Sample selection protocol:
Stationary trips
Complete checklists (report all species)
Drop duplicates from group trips.
Drop trips with 1 bird
Duration between 5-240 mins
Summary Stats for 2020 in 1 month window around lockdown
This is the subset of eBird observations meeting the pariticipation criteria in the top 20 Indian cities by population size. Note that not all top 20 cities may be present in eBird.
| COUNTY | STATE | POP_DENSITY |
|---|---|---|
| North East Delhi | Delhi | 36155.226 |
| Central Delhi | Delhi | 27729.524 |
| East Delhi | Delhi | 27132.476 |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 26552.754 |
| Kolkata | West Bengal | 24306.454 |
| Mumbai Suburban | Maharashtra | 20979.735 |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 19652.299 |
| Hyderabad | Telangana | 18171.995 |
| South Delhi | Delhi | 11060.441 |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 9258.333 |
| South West Delhi | Delhi | 5446.456 |
| Bangalore | Karnataka | 4381.398 |
| New Delhi | Delhi | 4057.257 |
| Puducherry | Puducherry | 3232.276 |
This table shows aggregate birdwatching activity in the full sample among users who birdwatched on at least 2 days before and after lockdown (March 24, 2020).
| PREPOST | Num. Trips | Num. Cities | Num. Users | Num. Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-lockdown | 13287 | 127 | 264 | 648 |
| Pre-lockdown | 2224 | 164 | 264 | 635 |
| PREPOST | Num. Trips | Num. Cities | Num. Users | Num. Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-lockdown | 2541 | 13 | 45 | 216 |
| Pre-lockdown | 382 | 14 | 45 | 177 |
This table shows trip-level statistics before and after lockdown.
| PREPOST | Trip Length | Mean Species Richness | Median Species Richness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-lockdown | 21.68616 | 12.20456 | 11 |
| Pre-lockdown | 25.67536 | 12.41862 | 10 |
| PREPOST | Trip Length | Mean Species Richness | Median Species Richness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-lockdown | 20.52027 | 12.35931 | 12 |
| Pre-lockdown | 22.89267 | 10.73822 | 9 |
Marginal species are species observed after lockdown which were not observed before lockdown. To implement: in each city, obtain list of species observed (across all users) in March and April 2020. Extract species in april list not in march list, and collect in a data frame. If fewer species in april, city will not be in final list.
| COMMON.NAME | SCIENTIFIC.NAME | COUNTY |
|---|---|---|
| Little/Indian Cormorant | Microcarbo niger/Phalacrocorax fuscicollis | Kolkata |
| small swift sp. | Apodidae sp. (small swift sp.) | Kolkata |
| white egret sp. | Ardea/Egretta/Bubulcus sp. | Kolkata |
| swift sp. | Apodidae sp. | Kolkata |
| falcon sp. | Falco sp. | Kolkata |
| Rufous Woodpecker | Micropternus brachyurus | Kolkata |
| Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker | Dendrocopos macei | Kolkata |
| Asian Openbill | Anastomus oscitans | Kolkata |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | Kolkata |
| Scaly-breasted Munia | Lonchura punctulata | Kolkata |
| Zitting Cisticola | Cisticola juncidis | Kolkata |
| Spotted Owlet | Athene brama | Kolkata |
| Eurasian Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | Kolkata |
| Gray-headed Swamphen | Porphyrio poliocephalus | Kolkata |
| Paddyfield Pipit | Anthus rufulus | Kolkata |
| Red-breasted Parakeet | Psittacula alexandri | Kolkata |
| Painted Stork | Mycteria leucocephala | Kolkata |
| Yellow-eyed Babbler | Chrysomma sinense | Bangalore |
| Indian Silverbill | Euodice malabarica | Bangalore |
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba | Bangalore |
| Common Hawk-Cuckoo | Hierococcyx varius | Bangalore |
| ibis sp. | Threskiornithidae sp. (ibis sp.) | Bangalore |
| flowerpecker sp. | Prionochilus/Dicaeum sp. | Bangalore |
| Tickell’s Leaf Warbler | Phylloscopus affinis | Bangalore |
| bird sp. | Aves sp. | Bangalore |
| sunbird sp. | Nectariniidae sp. (sunbird sp.) | Bangalore |
| Dusky Crag-Martin | Ptyonoprogne concolor | Bangalore |
| Gray-bellied Cuckoo | Cacomantis passerinus | Bangalore |
| stork sp. | Ciconiidae sp. | Bangalore |
| swift sp. | Apodidae sp. | Bangalore |
| leafbird sp. | Chloropsis sp. | Bangalore |
| cormorant sp. | Phalacrocoracidae sp. | Bangalore |
| Eurasian Spoonbill | Platalea leucorodia | Bangalore |
| Apus sp. | Apus sp. | Bangalore |
| Lonchura sp. | Lonchura sp. | Bangalore |
| Garganey | Spatula querquedula | Bangalore |
| Black-rumped Flameback | Dinopium benghalense | Bangalore |
| Red-rumped Swallow | Cecropis daurica | Bangalore |
| Red-naped Ibis | Pseudibis papillosa | Bangalore |
| White-naped Woodpecker | Chrysocolaptes festivus | Bangalore |
| bee-eater sp. | Merops sp. | Bangalore |
| Blue-faced Malkoha | Phaenicophaeus viridirostris | Bangalore |
| prinia sp. | Prinia sp. | Bangalore |
| Eurasian Coot | Fulica atra | Bangalore |
| Blyth’s Pipit | Anthus godlewskii | Bangalore |
| Black-naped Monarch | Hypothymis azurea | Bangalore |
| Indian Pitta | Pitta brachyura | Bangalore |
| Indian Blue Robin | Larvivora brunnea | Bangalore |
| White-eyed Buzzard | Butastur teesa | Bangalore |
| Common Tailorbird | Orthotomus sutorius | Mumbai |
| Little Swift | Apus affinis | Mumbai |
| Indian Silverbill | Euodice malabarica | Mumbai |
| Asian Pied Starling | Gracupica contra | Mumbai |
| Rosy Starling | Pastor roseus | Mumbai |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | Mumbai |
| Crimson-backed Sunbird | Leptocoma minima | Mumbai |
| Chestnut-tailed Starling | Sturnia malabarica | Mumbai |
| Ashy Drongo | Dicrurus leucophaeus | Mumbai |
| Indian Robin | Copsychus fulicatus | Mumbai |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Chennai |
| sunbird sp. | Nectariniidae sp. (sunbird sp.) | Chennai |
| Spotted Owlet | Athene brama | Chennai |
| Spotted Dove | Streptopelia chinensis | Chennai |
| heron sp. | Ardeidae sp. | Chennai |
| Common Tern | Sterna hirundo | Chennai |
| Booted Eagle | Hieraaetus pennatus | Chennai |
| Blue-faced Malkoha | Phaenicophaeus viridirostris | Chennai |
| Purple Sunbird | Cinnyris asiaticus | Chennai |
| Red-whiskered Bulbul | Pycnonotus jocosus | Chennai |
| Ashy Prinia | Prinia socialis | Chennai |
| swift sp. | Apodidae sp. | Chennai |
| Little Swift | Apus affinis | Chennai |
| white egret sp. | Ardea/Egretta/Bubulcus sp. | Chennai |
| Black-headed Ibis | Threskiornis melanocephalus | Chennai |
| Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | Chennai |
| passerine sp. | Passeriformes sp. | Chennai |
| Indian Robin | Copsychus fulicatus | Mumbai Suburban |
| Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus | Mumbai Suburban |
| Laughing Dove | Streptopelia senegalensis | Mumbai Suburban |
| Indian Golden Oriole | Oriolus kundoo | Mumbai Suburban |
| Thick-billed Flowerpecker | Dicaeum agile | Mumbai Suburban |
| Red-vented Bulbul | Pycnonotus cafer | Mumbai Suburban |
| Brown-headed Barbet | Psilopogon zeylanicus | Chandigarh |
| Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | Chandigarh |
| Spotted Dove | Streptopelia chinensis | Chandigarh |
| Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus | Chandigarh |
| Black-rumped Flameback | Dinopium benghalense | Chandigarh |
| Black Drongo | Dicrurus macrocercus | Chandigarh |
| Gray Wagtail | Motacilla cinerea | Chandigarh |
| Green Bee-eater | Merops orientalis | Chandigarh |
| Red-wattled Lapwing | Vanellus indicus | Chandigarh |
| Laughing Dove | Streptopelia senegalensis | Chandigarh |
| Indian Gray Hornbill | Ocyceros birostris | Chandigarh |
| Greenish Warbler | Phylloscopus trochiloides | South West Delhi |
| duck sp. | Anatinae sp. | South West Delhi |
| drongo sp. | Dicrurus sp. | South West Delhi |
| Little Swift | Apus affinis | South West Delhi |
| Red-naped Ibis | Pseudibis papillosa | South West Delhi |
| Oriental Honey-buzzard | Pernis ptilorhynchus | South West Delhi |
| Common Chiffchaff | Phylloscopus collybita | South West Delhi |
| Long-tailed Shrike | Lanius schach | South West Delhi |
| Rosy Starling | Pastor roseus | South West Delhi |
| Indian Paradise-Flycatcher | Terpsiphone paradisi | South West Delhi |
| old world warbler sp. | Passeriformes sp. (Old World warbler sp.) | South West Delhi |
| Egyptian Vulture | Neophron percnopterus | South West Delhi |
| Eurasian Hoopoe | Upupa epops | South West Delhi |
| Blyth’s Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus dumetorum | South West Delhi |
| Indian Golden Oriole | Oriolus kundoo | South West Delhi |
| white egret sp. | Ardea/Egretta/Bubulcus sp. | South West Delhi |
| Booted Warbler | Iduna caligata | South West Delhi |
| Booted Eagle | Hieraaetus pennatus | South West Delhi |
| Gray Heron | Ardea cinerea | South West Delhi |
| Indian Pond-Heron | Ardeola grayii | South West Delhi |
| Great Cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | South West Delhi |
| Short-toed Snake-Eagle | Circaetus gallicus | South West Delhi |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | South West Delhi |
| Brown Rock Chat | Oenanthe fusca | South West Delhi |
| Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | South West Delhi |
| Coppersmith Barbet | Psilopogon haemacephalus | North East Delhi |
| Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus | North East Delhi |
| Rose-ringed Parakeet | Psittacula krameri | North East Delhi |
| Large Gray Babbler | Turdoides malcolmi | North East Delhi |
| Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | North East Delhi |
| Brown-headed Barbet | Psilopogon zeylanicus | North East Delhi |
| Alexandrine Parakeet | Psittacula eupatria | East Delhi |
| Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus | East Delhi |
| Black Redstart | Phoenicurus ochruros | East Delhi |
| White Wagtail | Motacilla alba | East Delhi |
| Striated Babbler | Turdoides earlei | East Delhi |
| Large-billed Crow | Corvus macrorhynchos | East Delhi |
| Coppersmith Barbet | Psilopogon haemacephalus | East Delhi |
| Large Gray Babbler | Turdoides malcolmi | East Delhi |
| Rosy Starling | Pastor roseus | East Delhi |
| Black Drongo | Dicrurus macrocercus | East Delhi |
| Indian Robin | Copsychus fulicatus | East Delhi |
| Plain Prinia | Prinia inornata | East Delhi |
| Oriental Magpie-Robin | Copsychus saularis | East Delhi |
| Rufous Treepie | Dendrocitta vagabunda | East Delhi |
| Red-whiskered Bulbul | Pycnonotus jocosus | East Delhi |
| Green Bee-eater | Merops orientalis | East Delhi |
| Black-headed Ibis | Threskiornis melanocephalus | East Delhi |
| Red-naped Ibis | Pseudibis papillosa | East Delhi |
| White-throated Kingfisher | Halcyon smyrnensis | East Delhi |
| Green Sandpiper | Tringa ochropus | East Delhi |
| Shikra | Accipiter badius | East Delhi |
| Indian Peafowl | Pavo cristatus | East Delhi |
| Greater Coucal | Centropus sinensis | East Delhi |
| Indian Spotted Eagle | Clanga hastata | East Delhi |
| Indian Cormorant | Phalacrocorax fuscicollis | East Delhi |
| Bank Myna | Acridotheres ginginianus | East Delhi |
| Gray-breasted Prinia | Prinia hodgsonii | East Delhi |
| Gray Heron | Ardea cinerea | East Delhi |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | East Delhi |
| Purple Heron | Ardea purpurea | East Delhi |
| Indian Spot-billed Duck | Anas poecilorhyncha | East Delhi |
| Woolly-necked Stork | Ciconia episcopus | East Delhi |
| Red-breasted Flycatcher | Ficedula parva | East Delhi |
| Hume’s Warbler | Phylloscopus humei | East Delhi |
| Little Swift | Apus affinis | East Delhi |
| passerine sp. | Passeriformes sp. | East Delhi |
| swift sp. | Apodidae sp. | East Delhi |
| Great Cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | East Delhi |
| Indian Golden Oriole | Oriolus kundoo | East Delhi |
| Indian Pond-Heron | Ardeola grayii | East Delhi |
| Egyptian Vulture | Neophron percnopterus | East Delhi |
| ibis sp. | Threskiornithidae sp. (ibis sp.) | East Delhi |
| Black-rumped Flameback | Dinopium benghalense | East Delhi |
| Rosy Starling | Pastor roseus | South Delhi |
| Brown Rock Chat | Oenanthe fusca | South Delhi |
| Indian Gray Hornbill | Ocyceros birostris | South Delhi |
| crow sp. | Corvus sp. (crow sp.) | South Delhi |
| parakeet sp. | Psittaciformes sp. (parakeet sp.) | South Delhi |
| White-breasted Waterhen | Amaurornis phoenicurus | South Delhi |
| Indian Robin | Copsychus fulicatus | South Delhi |
| Black-rumped Flameback | Dinopium benghalense | South Delhi |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | South Delhi |
| Hume’s Warbler | Phylloscopus humei | South Delhi |
| Large-billed Crow | Corvus macrorhynchos | South Delhi |
| Baya Weaver | Ploceus philippinus | Puducherry |
| Pin-tailed Snipe | Gallinago stenura | Puducherry |
| Asian Openbill | Anastomus oscitans | Puducherry |
| bird sp. | Aves sp. | Puducherry |
| Garganey | Spatula querquedula | Puducherry |
| Indian Golden Oriole | Oriolus kundoo | Puducherry |
| Indian Pitta | Pitta brachyura | Puducherry |
| Western Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava | Puducherry |
| white egret sp. | Ardea/Egretta/Bubulcus sp. | Puducherry |
| Eurasian Spoonbill | Platalea leucorodia | Puducherry |
| Fulvous Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna bicolor | Puducherry |
| Purple Heron | Ardea purpurea | Puducherry |
| Indian Cormorant | Phalacrocorax fuscicollis | Puducherry |
| White-browed Wagtail | Motacilla maderaspatensis | Puducherry |
| Brahminy Starling | Sturnia pagodarum | Puducherry |
| Black Kite | Milvus migrans | Puducherry |
| Black-headed Ibis | Threskiornis melanocephalus | Puducherry |
| swallow sp. | Hirundinidae sp. | Puducherry |
| tern sp. | Sterninae sp. | Puducherry |
| Tringa sp. | Tringa sp. | Puducherry |
| wagtail sp. | Motacilla sp. | Puducherry |
| Black-winged Kite | Elanus caeruleus | Puducherry |
| Gray-headed Swamphen | Porphyrio poliocephalus | Puducherry |
| Indian Roller | Coracias benghalensis | Puducherry |
| Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | Puducherry |
| Wood Sandpiper | Tringa glareola | Puducherry |
| Common Kingfisher | Alcedo atthis | Puducherry |
| snipe sp. | Gallinago sp. | Puducherry |
| Scaly-breasted Munia | Lonchura punctulata | Puducherry |
| duck sp. | Anatinae sp. | Puducherry |
| Indian Robin | Copsychus fulicatus | Puducherry |
| Lesser Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna javanica | Puducherry |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | Puducherry |
| Clamorous Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus stentoreus | Puducherry |
| Gray-bellied Cuckoo | Cacomantis passerinus | Puducherry |
| Plain Prinia | Prinia inornata | Puducherry |
| Rosy Starling | Pastor roseus | Puducherry |
| Tricolored Munia | Lonchura malacca | Puducherry |
| Ashy Drongo | Dicrurus leucophaeus | Puducherry |
| Green Bee-eater | Merops orientalis | Puducherry |
| Oriental Darter | Anhinga melanogaster | Puducherry |
| diurnal raptor sp. | Accipitriformes/Falconiformes sp. | Puducherry |
| Red-rumped Swallow | Cecropis daurica | Puducherry |
| Pied Bushchat | Saxicola caprata | Puducherry |
| Paddyfield Pipit | Anthus rufulus | Puducherry |
| Intermediate Egret | Ardea intermedia | Puducherry |
| Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus | New Delhi |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | Streptopelia decaocto | New Delhi |
| Rosy Starling | Pastor roseus | Hyderabad |
| Dusky Crag-Martin | Ptyonoprogne concolor | Hyderabad |
| White-browed Wagtail | Motacilla maderaspatensis | Hyderabad |
| Gray Wagtail | Motacilla cinerea | Hyderabad |
| Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | Hyderabad |
| River Tern | Sterna aurantia | Hyderabad |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | Hyderabad |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Hyderabad |
| Eurasian Kestrel | Falco tinnunculus | Hyderabad |
| Indian Robin | Copsychus fulicatus | Hyderabad |
| swallow sp. | Hirundinidae sp. | Hyderabad |
| Gray-bellied Cuckoo | Cacomantis passerinus | Hyderabad |
| Red-rumped Swallow | Cecropis daurica | Hyderabad |
| Western Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava | Hyderabad |
| parakeet sp. | Psittaciformes sp. (parakeet sp.) | Hyderabad |
| Streptopelia sp. | Streptopelia sp. | Hyderabad |
| Greater Coucal | Centropus sinensis | Hyderabad |
| diurnal raptor sp. | Accipitriformes/Falconiformes sp. | Hyderabad |
| white egret sp. | Ardea/Egretta/Bubulcus sp. | Hyderabad |
| Indian Pond-Heron | Ardeola grayii | Hyderabad |
| Indian Gray Hornbill | Ocyceros birostris | Hyderabad |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | Hyderabad |
Each black point is the difference in species richness compared to the day of lockdown. Specifically, we compute the number of days from each trip until the day of lockdown (negative values are days until lockdown, positive values are days after lockdown). We regress species richness on dummies for time until lockdown with date, hour, and state fixed effects. We also control for duration of trip and number of trips per day for each user.
Notes:
We see action around Janta curfew, not as much around official lockdown. Suggests people responded to the former.
We start seeing increases in species diversity post-lockdown when we narrow in on urban environments
Larger increases in post-lockdown species diversity as we increase the participation constraint (e.g. 10 days before/after curfew)
data: number of times each user sees each species in march and april. interpretation: proportion of user base seeing different frequencies of species.